Mothering, Coaching, and Running, Oh My!

Monday, May 14, 2012

My Mother's Day started off with a positive pregnancy test! I came downstairs to find my husband to tell him the good news. He was very excited - he said that I trumped him and it should be Father's Day instead.

My husband got me 3 bouquets of flowers from him and Jadon and a beautiful card. We went to River Stone Church. Every time I go there I like it more and more. My favorite part of the service was when the children in the church prayed for all the adults that work in the children's ministry program. I love that the church promotes prayer so much, even with the young children! After church we ate lunch at my favorite restaurant, Bahama Breeze. I love Bahama Breeze because the food is always good and consistent, service is great, and I love the atmosphere. When we got home, my son slept for 2.5 hours! That was a huge gift itself! All in all it was a simple, yet wonderful day!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Today I was looking through my Volleyball USA magazine and read "You can't force-feed passion" by Mike Sealy. Reading the following quote struck me hard as a teacher, parent, and coach. I have needed to hear this for a long time, maybe it was said to me before, but I finally heard the message.

What am I?I am a Teacher. What can I do?I can expose you to ideas, but I cannot tell you what to think.I can guide you, but you must discover the limits of your own potential.I can encourage you, but your greatest fulfillment must come from within. I can listen to you, but I will not tell you what to say.I can look with you, but I cannot tell you what you will see.I can move with you, but I cannot tell you what to feel.I can speak with you, but I cannot tell you what to hear.I can do some things with you, but you can do more with yourself.I can guide you on the path of discovery, but I cannot tell you the answer.

For so many years I took it personally when a student or player didn't get it (why they needed to do their homework, not picking up the tip when you have practiced it over and over, etc.) What was I doing wrong? I tried all approaches, being super encouraging, punishments, rewards, stepping back - nothing was working. After reading the quote, I realized that it is a two way street and the phrase "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink" is so true (unless you are a teacher - No Child Left Behind). Not only is this quote good for parents, teachers, and coaches, but for all young people. They have to know their part and their part is the most important.

Now that I am a parent, I will teach my son my Christian faith and when he is old enough I hope he will call it his own. I have to remember that I can show him the way but I can't force him into the faith. I have to trust Jesus with him.

I have to let him fall so he will know how to pick himself up.I have to let him struggle so he will know Jesus' peace, learn perseverance, and feel accomplishment.I have to let him make mistakes so he learns about consequences. I have to let him hurt so he knows how Jesus can heal.I have to let him sin so he knows he is forgiven and how to ask for forgiveness.I have to let him get his heart broken so he will know true love.I have to let him go so he can find himself.

Through all of it I (and my husband) will be there to love and encourage him. The worst thing I can do as a parent is to shield and protect him from all the hard things life throws his way. If I do then he will be crippled and never know the good parts of life. I will shed many tears, my heart will hurt for him, but in the end I know he will be man God created him to be and strong in faith.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Feeding a 12 month old solids has been an adventure! I have introduced Jadon to a lot of different fruits and vegetables. He has liked everything but definitely has his favorites. The hardest part has been trying to guess what he wants to eat when. He will kill daddy's eggs on Sunday but when I try to give him eggs again on Wednesday, he won't even take a bite!

I had been feeding him whatever we have been eating and it has worked well for dinner, but breakfast and lunch has been difficult. I typically drink a smoothie for breakfast and eat some type of salad for lunch. He will have a few sips of my smoothie, but not enough for a meal and he isn't ready for salads yet. So, I went searching on the internet for fruit and veggie combinations. I have been making chunky mixtures and freezing them in my Baby Bullet containers. After they freeze I put them in a labeled freezer bag; I take out what I need the day before and defrost in fridge or on the counter.

I have found some interesting combinations that have led me to creating this recipe (well, I haven't seen it before so for me it is new). I had planed on making chicken salad for lunch and I had a ripe mango and avocado that I needed to use. I figured the avocado will give me the same creamy consistency as mayonnaise would but with more beneficial nutrients.

Friday, April 20, 2012

We write because we love words and the relief it is to just write them without worrying if they’re just right or not. So we take five minutes on Friday and write like we used to run when we were kids.

On Fridays we write with gusto, unselfconscious and flat out.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking2. Link back here and invite others to join in.3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments.

OK, are you ready? Give me your best five minutes on:

Together…

I hear the song You and Me by Dave Matthews. I gave my husband a framed picture of the lyrics to this song for Christmas one year. There have been many Christmas's where we didn't have much for presents, so I struggled to find something meaningful yet thrifty to give him. He loved it. Here are the lyrics.

want to pack your bags something small take what you need & we disappear
without a trace, we'll be gone, gone The moon & the stars follow the
car & then when we get to the ocean, we're going to take a boat to
the end of the world... all the way to the end of the world oh and when
the kids are old enough we gonna teach them to flyyyyyyy

you &
me together we can do anything, baby you & me together yes, yes you
& me together we can do anything, baby You & me together yes, yes

You & I we're not tied to the ground, not falling but rising
like, rolling around eyes closed above the roof tops eyes closed we're
gonna spin through the stars our arms wide as the sky, we gonna ride the
blue all the way to the end of the world, to the end of the world

oh and when the kids are old enough we gonna teach them to flyyyyyyy

(chorus) you & me together
could do anything, baby you & me together yes, yes you & me
together we can do anything baby You & me toghter yes, yes

we
can always look back at what we did always remembering you & me baby
But right now it's you and me forever girl you know we could do better
than anything that we did you know that you and me we could do anything

you & me together c' do anything, baby you &
me together yeah, yeah

two of us together we c' do anything, baby
you and me together, yeah yeah the two of us together yeah, yeah the
two of us together, we can do anything baby

something small, told
her at least, the end of the world,

Copied from MetroLyrics.com

I love the sense of freedom, faith, hope, and strength this song has. No fear. And best of all, to teach the children to live like that as well. That part struck me the most since at the time, Josh and I were struggling with getting pregnant. This song was almost like a promise we held on to ~

3) My garden is FINALLY planted! All my seedlings died from the recent cold snap - I had been hardening them off and thought they would be fine since there wasn't supposed to be a frost. All the money I saved growing plants from seeds was lost and ended up costing me more money - had to buy plants to replace my seedlings. Note to self - just buy plants!

4) There have been male and female cardinals visiting our yard. I just bought a bird feeder to keep them coming back!

5) As I am typing this, my husband just came home with Little Caesar's Pizza and bread sticks!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

I have been wanting to do baby sign language with Jadon for awhile now. I have heard great things about it and my pediatrician recommended it. Jadon loves to watch TV and play on his own, so I wanted something to do with him to counter act all the TV watching. Yes I know, he really shouldn't be watching tv, but when that is the only way you can get something accomplished you do it. (I also purchased a Boba 3G from PAXbaby- totally into babywearing!)

Boba 3G in Dusk

While looking online for some information, I found BabySignLanguage.com. Great resources and information. I also purchasedBaby Sign and Learn for my iPhone for $1.99. Jadon loves my phone and it has a flashcard option. You can even add your own picture of dad for the dad flashcard

I decided to start with 12 signs: Mama, Dada, ball, book, car, cat, diaper, eat, finished, milk, more, and truck. All of which he encounters on a daily basis. I don't think it matters how many you start off with, just pick things that your baby encounters on a daily basis. You are not going to sit down and have a lesson - just sign the words as he interacts with things. Like when I am nursing I will say milk and do the milk sign.

My only concern is that I will forget to do the signs! Oh, and teaching them to Josh, but I am sure he will be a good sport about it. Especially the Dada sign!

About Me

I am a Christian SAHM to my son Jadon and wife to my husband Josh. I enjoy playing volleyball, running, reading, gardening, watching football, entertaining, and learning about new things. I love my Insanity DVDs - best home workout ever! I support breastfeeding, co-sleeping, non-vaxing, baby wearing, and eating clean, whole foods. As the months go by, I find myself redefining myself as a mother and wife - each month brings new challenges as my son gets older. Life is always changing - you need to change with it or you will be left frustrated and discouraged!